Hogwarts starts with stealing power.

The golden sign of Flourish and Blotts Bookstore sparkles and sparkles in the sun.

The sweet vanilla scent of Florin's Ice Cream Shop wafted through the air, and Hermione suddenly felt like she was craving ice cream.

Because it was Thursday again and again, she didn't suppress her desire and went to buy a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

After finishing her meal leisurely, she came to the south side of Diagon Alley and saw a faded golden sign hanging on the lintel of a certain store:
[Ollivander: Making exquisite wands since 382 BC]

Ollivander's storefront is narrow and old, with a brass bell hanging on the faded black painted wooden door, which looks very shabby at first glance.

But this oldness can show that the family has a long history passed down for thousands of years.

There aren't many old shops in Diagon Alley that can be compared to the Wand Shop.

Hermione arrived at Ollivander's wand shop. The only thing on display in the window was a lonely, dusty wand, with the tip pointing in the direction of the street.

Pushing open the door, the sound of brass bells jingled, and what came into view was an extremely cramped space with thousands of wand boxes stacked from the floor to the ceiling, covering every inch of the wall.

And in this narrow space, there are actually shelves displayed one after another.

The shelves stood crookedly, and Hermione could see some cobwebs hanging between the dark purple velvet curtains.

Because it is winter now, the weather outside is not good and the sunlight is very weak, so the dusty copper chandelier in the store has been turned on.

But these light sources were still too weak, so some candles were lit in the store.

In the dim light, Hermione could still see dust floating in the beams of light, and the air was filled with the smell of pine wax mixed with the musty smell of parchment.

Hermione couldn't help but frown and covered her nose with her hand.

She was still a little uncomfortable with the shabby appearance of Ollivander's Wand Shop.

She couldn't understand why, as an old shop with a thousand-year history, it should have accumulated a lot of gold galleons, but didn't think about upgrading the store?

Even if you don't change the store's decoration, you should still maintain basic cleanliness in order to show your family heritage.

Hermione suddenly remembered that Lin Xia and Ron had both worked in Ollivander's Wand Shop. In such a cramped environment, she couldn't imagine how these two people could move around in the store.

Hearing the sound of the brass bell, Ollivander poked his head out from behind the pile of wand boxes, his silver-white pupils narrowed into slits.

"You are... Miss Granger? I remember your wand is vine wood with dragon heartstrings, ten and three-quarters inches. Vine wood wands are usually chosen for ambitious and talented wizards, reflecting elegance and wisdom."

Ollivander knows every wand he has ever sold.

He might not be able to recognize the wizard holding the wand, but he could definitely recognize the wand he had made himself.

Ollivander came out and asked, "Well, it's still winter vacation. Is there something wrong with your wand? Do you need me to check it for you? Take out your wand."

Hermione shook her head at him, "Mr. Ollivander, I need your help, but not with the wand."

"My good friends Lin Xia and Ron used to work in your store. They told me that you are a very enthusiastic, cheerful and helpful old man."

When Ollivander heard the names of these two people, he was surprised at first, and then became alert.

"Lin Xia is considered my apprentice. She started studying magic wands after my guidance. It's understandable that she would praise me.

But Ron was just an ordinary clerk. I was not satisfied with him when he was working. He didn't even understand many of the materials used to make wands, let alone help people explain what the wand could do.

He still praises me? It's good enough that he doesn't slander me behind my back."

Hermione smiled softly, "With Lin Xia here, Ron won't dare say anything bad about you."

Ollivander once again looked Hermione up and down carefully, his eyes hinting at criticism, finally landing on the grapewood wand tucked beside her trousers.

"Tell me your request, but let me make one thing clear. If I am willing to help you, it is not for Lin Xia and Ron, but for the grapewood wand.

The owners chosen by the grapewood all have lofty and great ideals and aspirations, and I am happy to establish a good relationship with their owners. "

Hermione wanted to name a few other advanced confidentiality spells that she had not learned, but when the words came to her lips, she suddenly changed her mind.

She was in a closed state when learning the Fidelius Charm. Although the spell could be cast successfully, she was not sure whether her learning method was correct.

Being able to cast a spell successfully is one thing, but whether it can achieve the original effect is another.

So she looked serious and said, "I want to learn the Fidelius Charm. Can you help me? I can give you a lot of gold galleons."

After saying that, Hermione placed a bag of gold Galleons on the oak cabinet. The coins in the bag collided with each other, and accidentally startled the wooden carved owl perched in the window.

"The Fidelius Charm? This is a high-level secrecy charm. You mentioned a spell that even I don't know."

Ollivander pushed up his tortoise-shell glasses and said calmly, "Charms are not my area of ​​expertise. If you want help, you can go to the Charms Department of Gringotts. They have specialized courses on learning and trading spells."

"Gringotts?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't trust those goblins. I want you to introduce me to a wizard who can teach me the Fidelius Charm."

Ollivander thought for a while, then suddenly smiled and said, "Little witch, you have given me a difficult question, but among the many clients I know, there is one client who can cast the Fidelius Charm."

Hermione's eyes lit up, "Who is that?"

Ollivander's eyes flashed with a sly smile, "Crabbe from Knockturn Alley, he just ordered a custom wand from me last month.

Unfortunately, not long after he placed the order, he was sent to Azkaban by the Ministry of Magic for tea."

Hermione said with some regret: "I want to be able to find a wizard in Diagon Alley, so that I can go and ask for advice directly, instead of having to wait for a while."

Ollivander said again: "Why don't you go to Gringotts and ask. Gringotts should be able to find the information you want."

Hermione shook her head, showing her strength in this matter, "I only trust you."

The Fidelius Charm is one of the advanced secrecy spells that only a few wizards can learn and master.

If she asked Gringotts to teach her the Fidelius Charm, Gringotts would definitely offer her a price she couldn't afford.

And who knows if the wizards arranged by Gringotts are humans or something else?

As a bank, Gringotts also has many confidentiality measures, and those goblins may not be willing to let more wizards learn the Fidelius Charm.

Persuasion failed again, Ollivander shrugged helplessly, "Well, you are one of the most persistent little witches I have ever met, a bit like Lin Xia, no wonder you two can become friends.

For the sake of the grapewood wand, I thought of a wizard who is currently staying in Diagon Alley.

This person is a retired Auror. Because he has been dealing with pollutants from the evil world for many years, his temper is a bit strange and his personality is also uncertain. "

Ollivander looked at her deeply and said in a very cryptic way, "He is very likely on the way to corruption. You can look for him for a short period of time, but not for a long time."

The next second, he changed the subject, "There is no doubt that this person can meet your requirements. If you can get his approval, a mere loyalty spell is not a problem. You can even get more. It's up to you whether you want to go find him or not."

Ollivander kept silent after giving Hermione this information, but after hearing him mention this person, Hermione had an idea in her mind and decided to go find him. At the end of Diagon Alley, there was a small wooden house.

This wooden house is even more shabby than Ollivander's Wand Shop. The wooden boards are all old and seem like they can be broken with a little force.

These wooden boards are pieced together in incomplete pieces, and the scenes inside can be seen through the various gaps.

The premise is that there is light coming out from inside.

Hermione came to the cabin according to the address given by Ollivander, and found that there was no light coming from inside. In addition, the location was remote and even the sun could not reach here.

Diagon Alley was very prosperous, but after arriving at this place, Hermione felt an inexplicable chill.

She first looked around and found several houses besides the cabin.

From the wildly growing grass in the courtyard, the iron filings on the iron gate, and the spider webs gathered in the corners, it can be seen that these houses have long been deserted and the owners have not lived here for a long time.

She thought about it and decided to find someone to ask about the cabin first.

After waiting for a while, a wizard finally passed by and seemed to be leaving Diagon Alley.

Hermione quickly stopped him and asked him about the owner of the cabin.

The wizard was stopped and found to be a little witch, and he was quite patient to listen to her.

As a result, when the wizard heard her mention the cabin, his face changed drastically and he said quickly:
"I don't know who lives in that wooden house. I don't know anything. This place is too remote. I advise you to leave as soon as possible!"

Hermione frowned. This wizard's attitude was a little unusual.

She glanced at the silent cabin and decided to ask someone else.

After waiting for a while, another wizard came. Like the previous wizard, that wizard looked terrified when he heard him mention the cabin.

However, this wizard was kind-hearted, and seeing that Hermione was sincerely asking, he revealed some information to her.

"I don't know why you are looking for him. Even his children have given up on him. This wizard has physical and mental problems. When he was sent to the cabin, he kept speaking in a language we couldn't understand."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, understanding the wizard's implicit meaning.

She asked, "What kind of wizard sent him here?"

"He was escorted here by a team of Aurors. The Aurors told us not to disturb his rest, and you should not go over there either."

The wizard said this hurriedly and left.

Hermione pondered for a moment, thinking about the school's attitude towards the infected.

If this Auror was really tempted by the evil god's whispers and fell, the Ministry of Magic would definitely not let him go out and harm the wizarding world.

This shows that this kind of degeneration is controllable, and perhaps it has only reached the level of primary infection, not the intermediate level.

Thinking this, Hermione walked to the cabin and knocked on the door.

Under normal circumstances, she would not be so reckless and would at least prepare some anti-infection items for herself.

But it was almost evening now, and in a few hours the cycle would resume, so Hermione decided to see if the wizard could teach her.

“Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!”

There were knocks on the door once or twice at first, and after waiting for a while, no one responded, so Hermione kept knocking.

After knocking for about ten minutes, when she felt that the door was almost broken, she finally heard some movement coming from inside through the supersensory spell.

Hermione then stopped knocking on the door and waited quietly.

A few minutes later, the wooden door opened from the inside with a dull creaking sound.

An old wizard with a haggard face, dark eyes and a slightly crooked nose appeared in front of Hermione.

The old wizard smelled of decay and hadn't taken care of himself in some time.

When he saw Hermione, his already stern expression became even more sour, thinking it was a neighborhood kid knocking on the door to play a prank.

The old wizard stared at her coldly and said in a hoarse voice: "Whose wizard's child are you? I want to talk to your parents. I didn't get a response because I didn't want to be disturbed. If you keep knocking, the wooden house will collapse!"

Hermione looked him over and spat out his name.

"Kyle Isaac, former Auror Captain of the Ministry of Magic, has extensive and outstanding experience and combat capabilities in fighting against evil gods' whispers, and is proficient in various advanced spells."

The old wizard's expression changed slightly, and he stared at her sharply: "Who are you?"

Hermione: "It doesn't matter who I am. I came to you because I want to learn from you."

The old wizard sneered, "I have one foot in my coffin and I don't have the energy to teach my disciples. I advise you to stay away from me, lest I go crazy and lose control of myself and kill you one day!"

Hermione thought about it and took out the glow candle from the traceless retractable ring.

"Do you recognize this? Can I take this as a condition for you to teach me?"

The old wizard had just retired and obviously recognized the "Glorious Candle".

This is the latest research of the Ministry of Magic, and it is very effective in combating the evil god's whispers. Unfortunately, the supply is limited, and the Aurors have to use it sparingly.

Because of the Glowing Candles, the wizarding world has increased its exploration of the world of evil gods. Some wizards have already explored some important cities in the world of evil gods rather than insignificant villages.

Seeing that he remained silent, Hermione took out another cold pill from her ring.

"This is very effective in suppressing the evil god's whispers for primary infected people. It should be helpful to you as well. I can use it as tuition."

The old wizard stared at Leng Wan for a long time. This product was not often circulated in the market.

He now relies on Leng Wan to control the progress of his infection.

As a retired person with merit, the Ministry of Magic will bear the cost of his retirement and medical care, so he has no shortage of cold pills.

only……

The old wizard whispered, "Who are you? These things you took out are all contraband. They are not something a young wizard can possess."

Hermione: "If it makes you feel more comfortable, I'd like to tell you that I'm part of a team that studies these things."

The old wizard seemed to be thinking of something, and his expression seemed to be as if he had suddenly realized something.

"No wonder you came to see me. Come in."

Hermione blinked, she felt that the old wizard seemed to have misunderstood something. (End of this chapter)